Anyone here using Slotted / Grooved Brake discs?

Veloce

Are they any use or purely for show? Lots of threads online about them but nothing definitive.

I need new discs up front and will probably place an order with Mtec. They have the option of different styles on the disc and I'm just wondering if it's worth it or a complete waste of time. I am planning on upgrading the pads to Ferodo DS2500s at the same time.

Alanstrainor

My car came with them, so I haven't had them without drilled and grooved up front. I reckon you're just not going to notice it day to day, and all you're going to be left with is quicker wearing pads, and more brake dust all over your wheels.

tossy

Had 2 piece drilled and grooved discs on my Bora, i think the fact the were 2 piece was the most beneficial thing , the may have been as good in a non grooved and drilled variety.

Cuddlesworth

tossy wrote: »

Had 2 piece drilled and grooved discs on my Bora, i think the fact the were 2 piece was the most beneficial thing , the may have been as good in a non grooved and drilled variety.

Wasn't that the thread where you spent the rest of it claiming that they also magically improved braking performance?

SamAK

Maybe uprating to some decent brake pads as well would make more of a difference?

tossy

Cuddlesworth wrote: »

Wasn't that the thread where you spent the rest of it claiming that they also magically improved braking performance?

I don't recall that thread but the did make a serious difference to the breaking performance of the car. I can't say for sure if non grooved and slotted 2 piece discs of a similar size would have been any worse though.

dar83

I'd steer clear of Mtec anyway, any car with any bit of performance I've heard of them being on, hasn't ended well. Warping seems to be a matter of time rather than a possibility from what I've read.

If you're going Grooved and Drilled, then go expensive, not cheap.

joujoujou

Exactly opposite to above - got mtec discs twice so far, on two cars. Braking performance improved significantly, no warping, no other problems either.

Will definately buy from them again in the near future (mrs. jou's car will need new discs allround soon).

Greyfoot

That floating disc and porsche caliper will do miracles on a bora I reckon, simply drilled and grooved oem discs will offer no performance gain under normal circumstances.

As for equipping ferodo pads on a street car, same thing, those pads will have terrible braking power during normal operation and will squeal. They need higher operating temperature to bite, unless you brake hard a lot, they offer no gain or worse, they reduce actual braking performance.

Depending on your ride, and your intentions I`d look for bigger diameter discs, and multi pot piston setup first instead.

Veloce

Mtec discs (324mm) will be going on a 350z with the Brembo calipers. Reason I'm changing is the existing discs are warped. OEM Nissan discs are ridiculously expensive- nearly 3 times more than the Mtec discs for a pair up front.

I know of Mtec as they were a popular replacement with the Alfa community and I recall the lads with the 330mm GTA discs using them with no complaints. I've only heard of the drilled discs being more prone to warping.

Pads will be Ferodo DS2500 to match the disc so this should make a huge difference in stopping power.

Greyfoot

No, they do not make huge improvement, basically you will equip an aftermarket discs on your car, with street pads. You might notice difference in fading properties(as the ferodo will not fade as quickly as oem) and hot stopping power, but do not expect miracles here.

I dont know the 350z but I guess you got 4pot front, and 2pot rear. That brake setup is sufficient on that power range.

Braking upgrades always centered around adequate heat dissipation and the resistance to withstand prolonged use. Increased contact surface is the next reason, but these are only necessary in race applications.

I`d look into equipping your ride with steel brake lines and proper brake fluid.

I repeat, you will not notice ANY improvement over oem disc whether you equip grooved or cross drilled discs, and racing pads need high operating temperature to bite properly.

goz83

OP it depends on what you are putting the discs on. Are we talking a 1 litre micra, a 2 litre mondeo, or 4.6 litre mustang?

I drive an fto gpx. 2 litre v6 197bhp. It had front drilled and grooved discs and regular on the rear. I replaced the rear discs with drilled and grooved to match the front and put on green stuff pads (good for road use, not needing high temps to grip). The difference was noticeable, but it may have been the pads, rather than the discs. However, i reckon drilled and grooved work better for braking, but also chew pads more quickly. For me, it was just a cosmetic thing and the rear discs were warped, so i took the opportunity to get drilled and grooved all around.

Veloce

goz83 wrote: »

OP it depends on what you are putting the discs on. Are we talking a 1 litre micra, a 2 litre mondeo, or 4.6 litre mustang?

I drive an fto gpx. 2 litre v6 197bhp. It had front drilled and grooved discs and regular on the rear. I replaced the rear discs with drilled and grooved to match the front and put on green stuff pads (good for road use, not needing high temps to grip). The difference was noticeable, but it may have been the pads, rather than the discs. However, i reckon drilled and grooved work better for braking, but also chew pads more quickly. For me, it was just a cosmetic thing and the rear discs were warped, so i took the opportunity to get drilled and grooved all around.

See above, it's a 350z, 276 bhp.

I hope to have the option to do a small number of track days during the summer but the usage will predominately be road use.

projectgtr

Personally i think they are a bit of a gimmick, id be spending my money on other aspects of your braking system.

On my own car (Civic SiR) i run OEM blanks all round, with standard pads on the rear and Carbotech track pads up front and upgraded brake fluid. That setup has done me very well with little to no brake fade during decent stints around Mondello. Ive a new setup im currently piecing together with 2.2 Prelude calipers with MG ZT V8 blank disks and an Integra Type R brake master cylinder. Should be a very nice upgrade.

dr.fuzzenstein

From a pure physics point of view, drilled/grooved discs of the same diameter as non drilled/grooved discs will be less efficient, due to the decreased surface area of the disc.
The holes and grooves help with dissipation of heat or moisture, but this will mostly come into play under extreme conditions, for normal driving holes and grooves on a non-performance car are an addition like painting the callipers. Looks nice, but little else.
As for heat dissipation, double vented discs are the most useful thing, definite advantage over solid discs, hence the reason that they have found their way into most cars, whilst grooved/drilled discs are used mostly for high performance vehicles or competition use.